Quick answer
Reduce acrylamide by identifying relevant fried, baked, roasted or toasted starchy foods and applying the appropriate product/process mitigation measures. Follow suitable supplier instructions, control cooking and review results. Acrylamide benchmark levels are performance indicators, not maximum legal limits, and reducing browning must not compromise the controls needed to cook food safely.
Identify foods and processes where it can form
Acrylamide can form through reactions during high-temperature cooking of some foods, particularly starchy products. Relevant examples include fried potato products and certain breads, biscuits and other cereal-based foods. It is a process-generated chemical hazard, not an ingredient that a visual inspection can reliably measure.
Food Standards Scotland’s contaminant guidance describes formation and mitigation. Check the categories and measures relevant to what the business produces rather than assuming every item needs an identical programme.
Choose measures appropriate to the operation
FSA acrylamide guidance explains mitigation within food-safety management and proportionate obligations for different business types. The applicable measures, records and any sampling/testing requirements depend on the products and operation.
A small catering business should not assume that every manufacturer’s sampling requirement applies identically to it. Equally, being small does not make relevant mitigation unnecessary. FSS implementation guidance provides the Scottish context for checking the appropriate tier.
Build practical cooking controls
| Stage | What to check |
|---|---|
| Purchase/specification | Suitable raw materials and supplier preparation/cooking guidance. |
| Preparation/storage | The relevant product-specific handling instructions and assessed method. |
| Cooking | Approved time/temperature/colour approach and equipment performance. |
| Staff instruction | A consistent acceptable endpoint for the actual product. |
| Review | Repeated over-browning, changed suppliers/equipment and evidence of effectiveness. |
For applicable products, suitable colour guidance can help avoid unnecessarily dark cooking. It is a process aid, not a guarantee of a measured acrylamide level. Do not invent one time/temperature setting for all fryers, ovens or foods.
Use benchmarks for their correct purpose
FSA describes benchmark levels as generic indicators for judging mitigation performance, not maximum limits. Do not present a benchmark as a universal legal pass/fail concentration or claim a product is “acrylamide-free” because its surface looks pale.
Where sampling/testing applies, use suitable methods and competent interpretation. Consider whether a result calls for review of materials or process control, rather than treating the number alone as the entire assessment.
Maintain the other cooking controls
Mitigation must sit alongside validated microbiological and other safety controls. Do not undercook food to reduce colour or replace the business’s safe-cooking method with appearance alone. Seek competent advice if the controls appear to conflict.
Use the published HACCP guide to connect the hazard, method, checks and corrective actions. Record the relevant method and review changes, using the appropriate national guidance.
Next steps
- Identify relevant foods and the applicable mitigation tier.
- Use suitable supplier/process instructions and consistent cooking controls.
- Keep required evidence and review over-browning or changes.
- Maintain safe cooking and interpret benchmarks correctly.
Read the official practical guidance — Use the current source alongside the procedures for your own business.